ational February 2001 Issue 14 N ooperative oil C urvey SS Newsletter

In This Issue— Retracing Charles we left Legon and traveled the southern coastal region, where we described and Kellogg’s Path in Ghana sampled an Oxisol (Tikobo). Then we Retracing Charles Kellogg’s Path in traveled to Kumasi, home of the Soil Ghana ...... 1 By Henry R. Mount, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Research Institute, which Kellogg had The Soil Scientist ...... 4 Survey Center, Lincoln, Nebraska visited in 1954. We found out that Drs. C.H. Charter, Brammer, and Ahn, Soil Horizon Designations ...... 5 uring August 2000, Berman British soil scientists in Ghana during Flood Recovery Assistance in D Hudson and I were approved the 1950’s and colleagues of Charles Honduras ...... 6 to participate in a science and Kellogg, were still held in high regard. technology mission to Ghana. Before They had introduced the soil series Geophysical Tools Utilized by NSSC to leaving the United States, we concept and set up 360 series based on Help States ...... 7 discovered that Charles Kellogg had 25 soil descriptions for each series. NCSS Soil Scientist Achievement visited Ghana (formerly the Gold When Theodore Awadzi presented us a Award ...... 8 Coast) in August 1954—46 years description of the Tikobo series, we earlier. Detailed notes in his “African found it to be a highly technical Language Matters ...... 9 Journal” provided day-by-day description matching many of our information for his 1-week excursion. Official Series Descriptions in the Kellogg’s mission in 1954 was to United States. In fact, we in the United interact with the British to assess States rarely take the time to define a Editor’s Note whether swollen shoot disease of the soil series on the basis of 25 cocoa trees was soil borne. After our descriptions. Issues of this newsletter are itinerary arrived from our hosts in In Kumasi, we tried to interpret the available on the World Wide Web Ghana, it became apparent we would be following Kellogg journal entry: (www.statlab.iastate.edu/soils/soildiv). traveling much of the same path as Click on NCSS and then on the desired The calcium-collecting tree Charles Kellogg did in 1954. issue number of the NCSS Newsletter. called Chlorophora excelsa, one After arriving in Accra on You are invited to submit stories for of the emergents. Locally, it is November 5, 2000, we were future issues of this newsletter to called “odum.” This tree introduced to our colleagues at the Stanley Anderson, National Soil Survey collects calcium, which oozes Ecological Research Laboratory at the Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Phone— into old wounds and cuts, University of Ghana in Legon. The 402-437-5357; FAX—402-437-5336; probably as calcium malate. international team consisted of Henrik email— This changes to a kind of Madsen and Mogens Greve from [email protected]. limestone that runs 80 to 90 Denmark, Theodore Awadzi and Seth percent calcium carbonate. The Danso from Ghana, and Berman and soils under such trees become me from the NSSC in Lincoln, neutral to alkaline while soils Nebraska. Our mission was to assess under adjacent trees may be the Ghanaian soil survey program, strongly acid. sample soils at seven benchmark sites throughout the southern part of Ghana, While our colleagues in Ghana were and present two symposiums about the familiar with this tree, it is now quite soil survey program in the United rare and the concretion that Kellogg States. observed in the Kumasi Soils Museum With sampling equipment in hand, has now disappeared.

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After our symposium in Kumasi, we thickets are almost impenetrable.” The We start for the field at 7 sampled two soils rich in plinthite local scientists had not heard of this o’clock with Brammer, Loxton, (Plinthustults)—the Kobeda series in a term, and we saw no evidence of what and Rose-Innes. We travel east teak plantation and the Dominase series he might have been referring to. It is along the coast on the main road in a bush fallow field. We also visited possible he might have been referring from Accra to Ada. As we go the soil correlation room where, to the bush fallow areas, but these are along the Accra Plain, I see red through examination of soil correlation by no means impenetrable. soils with red termite mounds trays, new soil scientists of Ghana are We visited the same Kpong on the higher swells. We expected to memorize the soils of the Experiment Station that Kellogg had continue east through area they are to map. The series visited in 1954. On August 7, 1954, he Dawhwenya and stop at about concepts in Ghana are fixed. The soil wrote: milepost 28 to look at the scientists in this relatively small country Tropical Black Clay in a very We start for Kpong with Mr. hold to the tradition of their 360 series gently undulating landscape. We Brammer, Mr. MacKinnen, and being a totality. There is no provision to then drive on into the Accra Mr. Linton at 12:30 p.m. At add any new series in Ghana. Plain and pass on to some more 2:40 p.m., we have arrived at Consequently, the series concepts are soils from acidic gneiss with the site for the new irrigation often transferred down to local farmers sandy surfaces and heavy clay B experimental station and have a and do not migrate or shift with time. horizons. The grasses here grow short time with Mr. Keyser, the Changes in the FAO classification in tussocks and these give the European manager. The soils in scheme do not split series either. The surface a fine micro-relief. At this area formed in weathered system appears to be rather rigid and milepost 55, we stop to take a granite containing hornblende fixed in some ways, but it allows new quick look at a friable red soil gneiss at 40 to 48 inches. The scientists to be more easily trained in (2.5YR 4/4) of sandy loam to underlying rock is rich in soda- the series concepts. loam texture from Tertiary sand. lime feldspar and deficient in After our stay in Kumasi, we Then we drive out toward the potassium. We return to the followed Kellogg’s path back to Accra. sea over some nearly pure white Hogensborg Castle about 5:20 We saw upland rice similar to what sandy soils derived from these p.m., just in time to change and Kellogg documented in 1954. We also Tertiary sands, and out onto an go with the Governor and his saw the same rusted cannons at Elmina old lagoon on where the soil is lady to the Prime Minister’s Castle he mentioned. In contrast to only a little above the sea. cocktail party. I mingle with the Kellogg’s writings, we noted Finally, we turn back and return people an hour or so and then accelerated erosion in and around to Accra about 2:15 p.m. Mr. Hamilton gets me and we villages. On August 6, 1954, Kellogg return to the Castle for dinner at stated, “All the accelerated erosion I Perhaps by accident or by fate, 8 p.m. I was impressed with the saw in over 200 miles could be found milepost 28 still remains in Ghana, and alertness of Dr. Kwame on one small Georgia farm.” We doubt we observed many of the same things Nkrumah. He seemed especially that Kellogg saw the aftermath of a that Kellogg did on August 8, 1954. interested in following up on my rainstorm similar to what we saw in What started as an incidental suggestions. Kumasi, where rivulets of red water objective to our mission became a daily were flowing on top of plinthite in the Though we did not meet with the experience of déjà vu. Traveling down villages and in the gutters throughout current Prime Minister of Ghana during the same path that Charles Kellogg had the streets. In addition, we later saw our excursion, we did describe and traveled and verifying similarities and clear evidence of 50 to 75 centimeters sample a Vertisol (Akuse) formed in differences from the distant past of erosion near a Danish plantation ruin hornblende gneiss at the Kpong became more important as our trip in Sesemi. Experiment Station. This Akuse soil unfolded. Before leaving Ghana, we One mystery of Kellogg’s writings mirrored what Kellogg mentioned in his informed our colleagues that as part of involves anthropic thickets. On August notes 46 years earlier. the follow-up process, we would 6, 1954, Kellogg wrote, “Within 13 Our excursion to Anloga was similar present a paper at the 2002 ASA miles of the sea, we pass into anthropic to Kellogg’s trip to Ada. On August 8, meetings in Indianapolis about thicket. Only 15 to 20 feet high, these 1954, Kellogg wrote: retracing Kellogg’s path in Ghana.

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The Soil Scientist

In the beginning, God made the heavens and earth, But then he realizes, as he tops a knoll, He designed them for us, for He knew our worth; Acres are important, but not the main goal; All was perfect and all was okay, He follows a calling that few understand, Till Adam and Eve fell that day. To discover for man the treasures of land.

Since that time, it has been upon man, Most will never see the hours of toil, To steward the earth, to work the land; That he invests into mapping our soil; But the land got tired and needed a rest, The fruit of his labor he may never see, So man got wise and devised a test. Lives are being helped; his purpose and destiny.

Alas, he found not all soil was the same, So much is changing with computers and NASIS, But what can we do to figure this game; Even publication is beyond the speed of molasses; All through the years, we’ve hit and missed, PEDON, SSURGO, and of course digitizing, So the Lord provided the soil scientist. Help to make our future more energizing.

He came on the scene a century ago, But there lies one certainty amongst all this change, Mapping soils anywhere the four winds blow; You’ll find him in field, forest, swamp, and range; Not knowing what he’d find over the next hill, He’ll be needed forever, though sometimes ignored, But blazing forward always ready to drill. Till a conservation team member needs a hole bored.

He’s a lone wolf but rarely lonely, As our second century gets underway, Sharpshooter in hand, his one and only; Of one thing for sure he is proud to say; Discovering creation one layer at a time, I’ve been part of a winning team, Daily facing dust, sweat, boredom, and grime. Even Hugh Hammond Bennett would give us a gleam.

Pushing forward, at times not sure why, When his time on earth is finished and done, Then thinking of goals, he begins to cry; His reflection of life’s race that he ran and won; It seems as though he’ll never get done, Will likely include a request to roam, One day at a time, he follows the sun. For a visit to the soil on his way home.

—Jeff Olson Soil Scientist NRCS Mena, Arkansas

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Soil Horizon Designations

By Warren Lynn, Research Soil Scientist, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Master horizons Subscripts

1951 1962 1975 1987 1992 1993 1998 1951 1962 1975 1987 1992 1993 1998

AooO1O1OOOO aaaa AoO2O2 bbbbbbb AAAAAA cccc A1 A1 A1 dddd A2A2A2EEEE eeee EB EB EB EB, E/B fffffff E&Bt (lamellae) ff A3A3A3ABABABABggggggg ABAB hhhhhhh A&BA&BA/BA/BA/BA/B iiii AC AC j B1 B1 B1 jj B/EB/EB/EB/Ecacacakkkk B&AB&A mmmmmmm B2B2B2BBBB nnnn G oooo B3 B3 B3 BC, B/C BC, B/C BC, B/C BC, B/C ppppppp CB, C/B CB, C/B CB, C/B CB, C/B si si qqqq C CCCCCC rrrr RRRRRR iririrssss W ssssss D ttttttt u Repeated designations: cn cn cn vvvv A´ A´ A´ A´ wwww E´ E´ E´ xxxxxx B´ B´ B´ B´cscscsyyyy C´ C´ C´ C´sasasazzzz

Discontinuities: I 111 II 222 III 3 3 3 IV 444 etc. etc. etc. etc.

1951—Soil Survey Manual, U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 18, pp. 173-183. 1962—Supplement to Soil Survey Manual, USDA Handbook 18, pp. 173-188 (replacing pp. 173-183). 1975—Soil Taxonomy, U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 436. 1987—Keys to Soil Taxonomy, SMSS Technical Monograph 6. 1992—Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 5th edition. 1993—Soil Survey Manual, U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 18, pp. 117-130. 1998—Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 8th edition.

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Flood Recovery Assistance in Honduras

By Henry R. Mount, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, Nebraska was part of an NRCS I interdisciplinary team assisting in flood recovery work in Honduras during the period August 6 to 23, 2000. This team consisted of an agronomist from Vermont, an irrigation engineer from Texas, and myself as the participating soil scientist. We were part of a USAID initiative to provide flood recovery assistance to limited resource farmers along the Choluteca River in southern Honduras. This part of the country was ravaged by the effects of Hurricane Mitch during October and November of 1998 (fig. 1). Sixteen months later, the entire country was still trying to rebound. Figure 1.—A bridge that was in use for only 6 months before Hurricane Mitch swept part of it away. After traveling to the USAID mission office in Tegucigalpa, we received photo ID’s and were driven by our personal bodyguard to the city of Choluteca. After checking into the hotel in Choluteca, we met Giovanny Molina, our field technician. We worked with Giovanny closely during the next 2 weeks. We worked with nine clients along the Choluteca River, gathering information about soils and crops for use in flood recovery plans. After we secured GPS coordinates for fields, we used ArcView software to generate maps (fig. 2). Southern Honduras is dry. The soil moisture regime ranges from ustic in and around the city of Choluteca to aridic near La Zabila (fig. 3). The soils near Choluteca have high bases and are Haplustolls with very good physical characteristics for growing corn and melons. Soil temperature is warm throughout the year in southern Honduras. A 1-day Figure 2.—ArcView representation of the fields belonging to Filomena Gomez near La Zabila.

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study at Javier Baca’s upper field near La Zabila showed that a sandy soil has a much higher maximum temperature than a loamy soil only a few feet away (fig. 4 and table 1). The daily range in temperature also is much higher in the sandy soil.

Table 1.—Soil Temperature Data from Javier Baca’s Upper Field

Temperature (°F) Loamy Sandy Mean ...... 83.4 84.3 Maximum ...... 88.9 98.3 Minimum ...... 78.8 76.6 Max.-Min...... 10.1 21.7

Every soil scientist should consider a TDY assignment to a foreign country. Figure 3.—A Torriorthent on the flood plain along the Choluteca River. The opportunity to meet new people and experience different cultures will test your ability to adjust to new and different circumstances.

Geophysical Tools Utilized by NSSC to Help States

By Jim Doolittle, Soil Scientist, National Soil Survey Center, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. he National Soil Survey Center Tis using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EMI) methods to help States document soil survey activities, evaluate potential environmental hazards, and preserve cultural resources. GPR and EMI are noninvasive geophysical tools that offer the advantages of portability, speed of operation, flexibility of observation depths, and moderate resolution of subsurface features. Last fall, assistance was provided to soil scientists in Maine, New York, and California to help determine the depth Figure 4.—Javier Baca at the break between his upper field and his lower field. to bedrock and the thickness of organic

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Figure 1.—A radar profile from a soil-geomorphic study conducted in a Carolina Bay near Lumberton, North Carolina. Depth is marked in meters. The white vertical lines at the top of the profile are spaced at an interval of about 30 meters. The vertical scale is exaggerated about 14 times the horizontal scale. The letters A, B, C, and D indicate soil or stratigraphic units. deposits in several soils. These data Wisconsin, to characterize soils on (NCSS) Soil Scientist Achievement help soil scientists design more accurate mine benches in Virginia, to Award for the year 2000. This award map units and in turn make more characterize soil-landscape patterns in accurate interpretations for construction North Carolina, and to determine depth of roads, septic tank absorption fields, to bedrock in Iowa. buildings, and other structures. GPR GPR and EMI are helpful tools in was used by soil scientists in North improving soil surveys as well as Carolina to help document the assessing environmental issues. presence, depth, and extent of impermeable layers across a Carolina Bay (fig. 1). It was used to help engineers detect voids under a concrete NCSS Soil Scientist spillway in South Carolina and was used to help foresters map tree roots Achievement Award and access biomass under loblolly pines By Horace Smith, Director, Soil Survey in Georgia. Division, Natural Resources Conservation During the same period, EMI was Service, Washington, D.C. used to determine whether detectable patterns of seepage had developed in illiam (Bill) E. Dollarhide, an animal waste holding facility in WReno, Nevada, is the recipient New York and an earthen dam in of the National Cooperative Soil Survey William E. Dollarhide

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recognizes exceptional achievement by soil survey manuscripts covering about Other accomplishments for the individuals working in production soil 15 million acres. NRCS Soil Survey Program have survey under the auspices of the NCSS. • Under Bill’s leadership, 33 soil been: Bill Dollarhide is being honored for his surveys in Nevada and 15 soil surveys • Cochair of the West Region Soil cumulative impact and exceptional in other States of the MLRA Survey Consortium management of all phases of the soil Region have been certified, covering • Soil Survey Reorganization Team survey program, including mapping, about 50 million acres. Member classification, correlation, • Before the reorganization of NRCS in • Expanded Soil Survey Division investigations, interpretations, map 1995 and the creation of the MLRA Steering Team Member compilation and map finishing, concept for production soil survey, Bill • West Region Technical Strategic publications, and database served as State Soil Scientist for both Planning Team Member management. You name a job and Bill Nevada and Utah together, covering an • West Liaison with NRCS National has done it for the NCSS throughout his area of 135 million acres. In his current Headquarters and National Soil Survey 35-year career with the USDA, Natural position, he serves as NRCS State Soil Center Resources Conservation Service Scientist for Nevada and MLRA Leader • Chair of the Quality Improvement (NRCS), in California, Utah, and for Region 3, which covers parts of five Team for Digital Map Finishing Nevada. States—Nevada, Utah, California, In particular, the NCSS would like Idaho, and Oregon. The award is granted annually in the to highlight Bill’s remarkable years in • Bill implemented a process within the form of a plaque. a leadership role in Nevada. Some of MLRA concept to publish six or seven his accomplishments to date have manuscripts each year and plans to been: finish the backlog of soil surveys in all of MLRA Region 3 in 2001 and have • Under his leadership, 21 soil surveys Language Matters all published soil surveys in digital have been published in Nevada and format for that MLRA region by 2002. By Stanley Anderson, Editor, USDA, Natural 56.5 million acres has been mapped. • Digital map finishing was completed Resources Conservation Service, National Soil • Interagency agreements with the Survey Center. for three surveys in Nevada before Bureau of Land Management that lasted Reno was named one of the seven ollowing is a sentence about the 15 years resulted in soil mapping to digital map finishing sites for the implications for NRCS of a NCSS standards on 49 million acres of F country. Since September 1999, the United Nations initiative to combat public land . digital map finishing site at Reno has desertification: “We have an • Bill developed interagency completed six surveys, which are from opportunity to contribute to land agreements with the United States Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Digital degradation and desertification.” The Forest Service, the National Park map finishing has been completed on a author says exactly the opposite of Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, total of 800 quad sheets. what he means. and the Department of Defense. To Bill’s credit, all Indian land in Nevada has a soil survey and has been digitized and most of this land has been The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all SSURGO certified. its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, • As an Assistant State Soil Scientist religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family and State Soil Scientist, Bill provided status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities quality control for more than 13 million who require alternative means for communication of program information acres of soil survey. He prepared (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at numerous final correlation documents, (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). processed more than 300 new soil To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil series, reviewed or supervised the Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, review of more than 2,000 Soil Survey Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). Interpretations Records (Form SCS- USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. SOI-5), and did technical edits on nine

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